I’m quite the fan of bourbon. And then in recent years, have become quite the fan of bread pudding. My quick little stint working in an American patisserie, taught me how to make a delicious brioche bread pudding. I learned the basics and that there are infinite combinations for flavoring and topping.
The following recipe is something I created for one of our dinner parties. It was thoroughly enjoyed after the delicious main course my husband cooked. We love to host and entertain and split our duties into sweet and savory.
Bread pudding is such a great basic recipe to learn. You can really take it in any direction once you’ve found a recipe you love. I hope my recipe inspires you to create your own variation!
Bourbon Bread Pudding w/ Bourbon Sauce
Pudding Ingredients
- Brioche, cut into cubes, enough to fill a 8 x 8 inch pan
- 1/2 cup of golden raisins
- 1/3 cup of bourbon
- 4 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup of light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- Big pinch of nutmeg
- Big pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons of unsalted cold butter
Take a 8×8 inch pan, grease with butter and line with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Arrange cut pieces of brioche in the pan until they are tightly packed. Set aside.
Place the raisins and a 1/4 cup of the bourbon in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer for 2 to 3 minutes as the raisins soak up the bourbon. Strain the bourbon into a bowl and place the raisins in its own bowl.
Using a stand or hand mixer. Whisk the egg yolks, brown sugar, cream, milk, vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until combined. Pour in the bourbon used to soak the raisins. Completely coat/soak the bread in this liquid mixture. The brioche will absorb the mixture.
Cover with foil and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour to allow the mixture to soak in. Soak until the brioche pieces are completely soft. Once ready, bake in the oven for 45 minutes covered in foil.
Mix the granulated sugar and remaining cinnamon into a cinnamon sugar. Add in the butter and use your fingers to combine with the sugar. Pull the partially baked bread pudding out of the oven and sprinkle the butter mixture on top. Leave uncovered and bake for another 20 minutes.
Let the bread pudding cool for 20 minutes on a wire rack. Can be served warm or refrigerated and served cold.
Bourbon Sauce Ingredients
- 1/4 cup of bourbon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of cornstarch
- 3/4 heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons of unsalted butter
Combine the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of bourbon in a small bowl. In a small saucepan heat the cream and sugar until it dissolves. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until sauce thickens. Take off the heat and add the salt, butter and remaining bourbon. Drizzle on bread pudding and serve!